Racers will cycle past the Scottish Parliament, up the Royal Mile towards the Castle, before descending down into Johnstone Terrace and through the Meadows before circling round Arthur’s Seat.

Roads will be closed on a rolling basis, reopening immediately after the last cyclist has left, in a bid to keep travel disruption to a minimum.

From there, the route takes the cyclists into Musselburgh and through East Lothian.

After entering East Lothian, the race will take cyclists through Gifford, Duns and Ford before crossing into north­-east England and travelling down past Wooler, Alnwick and Ashington before finishing in Blyth, near Morpeth.

Amongst the pack will be four-time Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins, British cycling champion Mark Cavendish and the Dutch 2014 race title holder Dylan Van Baarle. Lothian’s own Evan Oliphant will also be competing.

It is hoped that by hosting a stage start in the Tour of Britain, Edinburgh may one day secure the chance to host the Grand Depart of the Tour de France, which the city narrowly missed out on in 2014 when Yorkshire was chosen instead.

Councillor Richard Lewis said: “Elite cyclists from all over the world will descend on the Capital and the dramatic backdrop of Edinburgh’s winding streets will make for a spectacular sight.

“This is going to be a must­see event for both local people and visitors to the city.”

Tourism body VisitScotland has predicted that the event will result in a surge of interest in the cycling tourism market.

Chairman Mike Cantlay said: “Our country is already world­-renowned for being one of the best destinations for mountain biking. With the Tour of Britain, the country can boast that its incredible journeys on two wheels are not limited to the off­-road tracks and trails.”